The present invention pertains generally to firearms. In particular, the present disclosure pertains to firearms that load cartridges from a magazine or a clip.
In many firearms that load cartridges from a magazine or a clip, a slide assembly or a bolt assembly serves as a breechblock that holds a cartridge in the chamber. When the assembly is in a forward position (i.e., holding a cartridge in the chamber), the next cartridge in the magazine or clip is positioned lateral to the assembly (e.g., to the bottom or side of the slide assembly or the bolt assembly). When the assembly retracts, a casing of an expended cartridge in the chamber is extracted and ejected. Then when the assembly moves forward again a new cartridge is stripped from the magazine or the clip and loaded into the chamber.
During normal operation of the firearm, cartridges are sequentially loaded into the chamber, fired, extracted, and ejected before a subsequent cartridge begins the same process. However, in some instances, a malfunction occurs in this process.
As individuals (e.g., military and law enforcement professionals) rely on firearms in life and death situations, there is a desire in the field to make firearms highly reliable. Accordingly, there is a desire to reduce and/or eliminate the root causes for these and other types of malfunctions. There is also a desire to increase the accuracy and precision of firearms. Thus, there is a desire for continued development in this field.